A touching and poignant story of female empowerment, Lucy Walker's Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa follows the journey of a Nepalese woman, Lhakpa Sherpa, and her transfixion on ascending one of the world's tallest summit, Mount Everest. But this isn't Lhakpa's first time scaling Everest. In fact, it's her 10th. Lhakpa currently holds the record for most Everest climbs by a woman, and she was also the first female Sherpa to have ever successfully ascended and descended the mountain.
Despite her astounding accomplishments in her mountaineering career, Lhakpa Sherpa lives a seemingly normal, ordinary existence. She's a single mother who works in a grocery store in order to provide for her children, and her staggering feats go seemingly unnoticed in her world. It's this dichotomy that sets the basis for such an emotionally stirring and deeply resonant documentary.
One of the most notable aspects of Mountain Queen is how someone as extraordinary as Lhakpa has gone without sufficient coverage in the media for this long. While watching this documentary, I was repeatedly confronted with the question: how have I not heard of this before? Thankfully, Mountain Queen is the antidote to a story long gone unrecognized.
Rather than tell Lhakpa's story through a third-party lens, Walker affords Lhakpa the space to be the most prominent voice in the film. The voiceovers and interviews Lhakpa provides immediately reel viewers in, as she delivers a moment-by-moment account of events incomprehensible to the vast majority of us. We're constantly made aware of Lhakpa's current feelings towards her 10th ascent, as well as her maternal worries regarding her adolescent children. Her unyielding ambition and dedication towards success is endearing to behold, making it impossible not to root for her while she journeys Everest.
Emphasizing the impressiveness of Lhakpa's successes and the challenge ahead of her is the striking cinematography by Devin Whetstone and Matthew Irving. Through a multitude of wide-angle shots, we understand the hazardous and treacherous nature of each stage of the ascent. Images of a ferocious Khumbu Icefall paired with roaring wind instantly situates viewers inside the harsh realities of the climb and showcase Lhakpa's capabilities as a mountaineer. Following this, we see the uncomfortable and precarious camping conditions where Lhakpa's tent is viciously shaken by the unbearable winds outside.
The cinematography of Mountain Queen shows how unwelcoming Everest is, with images that exhibit a visceral quality, making them all the more alluring. These shots are contrasted by Lhakpa working at her local Whole Foods, contrasting her menial work tasks against the unrelenting nature of Everest. The visual comparison serves as a great reminder of the divide between her outstanding athletic career and her everyday life.
Unforgettable and deeply moving, Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa is a triumph of documentary filmmaking. Walker constructs a touching film about remarkable capabilities tinged with the realities of motherhood and the day-to-day struggles of life. What begins as a documentary about conquering the highest mountain in the world becomes an increasingly nuanced, multidimensional and masterfully executed character study.